China’s thirst for international cars doesn’t end with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Luxury car-maker Bentley sold 338 cars in China and Hong Kong areas in 2007, finishing with a remarkable 93 percent rise in sales compared to the previous year.
258 Bentley cars were sold in mainland China alone, which has become Bentley’s fifth largest and fastest growing market in the world.
Bentley sold 4,196 units in the United States and 2,079 units in the United Kingdom respectively, which are Bentley’s leading markets. Overall, 10,014 cars were sold world wide in 2007, up by 7 percent, and sales in Asia rose by 18 percent when contrasted with previous year’s statistics.
Chinese love Beemers. They gobble up all the BMW’s produced in no time, leaving the manufacturer gasping for breath.
To feed the BMW-hungry market, the German manufacturer has planned to step on the gas and produce 45% more cars in the following months which is roughly about 44,000 extra cars a year. BMW’s sales and marketing chief Stefan Krause, said the company experienced a 37 percent rise in 2007 sales to more than 61,000 cars.
BMW is partnered by Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd to make 3 and 5 Series cars in the Chinese plant situated in Shenyang.
"It is our clear goal to strengthen our lead as the most successful premium provider in Asia," Krause said.
BMW aims to sell more than 2 million cars worldwide by 2020, and raise the operating margin to 8-10 percent by 2012 from 5.5 percent for the first nine months of 2007.
The Chinese government has laid down a set of regulations to define what exactly a small displacement car is. The standards are also part of a bigger plan to give more preference for ‘green’ cars in the forthcoming years.
China’s National Development and Research commission (NDRC) have set standards for fuel economy, emissions and car size. This move is aimed to encourage Chinese car makers to upgrade to higher environmental protection standards and in the process, manufacture eco-friendly cars.
The following rules are to be followed by the manufacturer if their car has to be classified under small cars, which will enjoy tax benefits and other preferential policies.
Fuel Economy
For cars weighing from 1660kg to 1770kg, the car has to use less than 9.3 litres of fuel per 100km of travel. Cars weighing from 2180kg to 2280kg must use less than 11.07 litres of fuel per 100km of travel to boast benefits.
Emission Standards
All cars must meet Euro 3 tailpipe emission standards.
Car Size
To meet criteria, small displacement cars must be no longer than 4.2 meters in length and for hatchbacks, cars must be no longer than 4.0 meters in length.
In the presence of China Environmental Protection Foundation President Qu Geping and representatives from across its value chain, Shanghai General Motors officially inaugurated its Drive to Green strategy today. The unique strategy covers three key areas: developing green products, cultivating green manufacturing systems and undertaking a green responsibility.
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It is going to come as something of a shock to Fortune Magazine’s senior editor, Alex Taylor III, who wrote that “[i] the
Tata deal [to buy
Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford] goes through, it turns the entire auto industry into a global bazaar.”
Mr. Taylor lives in a sheltered environment, working for Time Warner and writing for Fortune. He’s apparently missed the globalization of the auto industry, such as General Motors’ announcement last week that it had sold one (..
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According to Chinese news sources, a vehicle built by Chinese carmaker Chery but badged as a
Dodge and sold by Chrysler, LLC will soon be introduced in Mexico. The car is the first vehicle produced under a deal arranged by former Chrysler president Tom LaSorda and Chery, one which had been rumored to be in trouble.
Chery is the Chinese company which produced two of the vehicles that recently failed to pass safety tests in Europe and Russia, crumpling, according to one report, like a (..
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Shanghai GM will be putting a hybrid version of their Buick LaCrosse on the market next year, prior to the Olympic games to be held in Bejing, according to the Xinhua News Agency of China.
According to GM’s information, the vehicle will be based on the
Saturn Aura Green Line’s hybrid engine, a 2.4 liter Ecotec which, in the
Saturn, increases fuel economy about 25%.
Toyota is currently the only manufacturer with a hybrid on the Chinese market, though
Honda has announced (
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Buick will expand its international reach following a four-year agreement signed today by General Motors and Shanghai GM to export up to 25,000 of the brand’s hot-selling Enclave luxury crossover to China beginning in the second half of 2008.
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Nanjing Auto bought the rights to the MG name, and the company, in 2005. Since then, they have invested $362 million in a new plant and in equipment in Nanjing, China.
Next month, Nanjing will introduce the result of these efforts, the MG-7, in China. The car is a 1.8 liter turbocharged base car starting at $22,578, and a 2.5 liter V-6 version starting at $39,842 in China. To this point, plans for export, if any, have not been announced.
The company will also produce the MG (...)
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